Human malignant melanoma is a highly chemorefractory cancer. There are currently not many effective treatment options. Malignant melanoma of the skin is highly prevalent in the United States, with 1 in 63 men and women afflicted during their lifetime. Of those, 11% are diagnosed after the cancer has spread to regional lymph nodes or directly beyond the primary site and 3% after the cancer has already metastasized (distant stage), with corresponding 5-year relative survival rates of 63.8% and 16.0%.